Intrusion, the Wang Clan Comes to Take Him Back

That extraordinary young man, in the blink of an eye, had been reduced to a cripple. Even though Serena Feng was used to seeing life and death and severe injuries, she couldn't accept it for a moment.

"It's because of William's plan, isn't it?"

It was phrased as a question, but Serena was already certain in her heart. If not for William Wang Jinling's plan, how could Caleb Wang Jinhan, who never meddled in family affairs, have ended up in the Walker family dungeon, subjected to such cruel torture?

If William wanted to gamble his own life against the Walker clan, fine—his life was his own, not her concern. But when he took action, couldn't he have thought about the people around him?

In power struggles, it's always those closest who are sacrificed.

"This was an accident. William had already arranged protection for Caleb and found an excuse to send him far away, warning him not to believe anything or return to the Walker estate no matter what happened. But when Caleb heard news of William's misfortune and was goaded by ill-intentioned people, he came back—and the Walker elders threw him into the dungeon, torturing him for the whereabouts of the clan leader's command token." Whether he liked William or not, Lance Quinn still spoke up to explain.

He wasn't so petty as to smear William at a time like this.

"Hmph, so that's supposed to make up for Caleb's injuries?" Serena snapped, full of indignation. Luckily, she hadn't lost her composure—though she was furious, her hands remained steady and precise as she set the med-kit aside, opened it, and took out the scissors, ready to cut away Caleb's clothes.

The harsh snip-snip of scissors echoed in the operating room. Watching the cold glint of the blade, Vincent Su shrank his neck, trying to make himself less visible.

Lance Quinn wanted to explain, but Caleb's injuries were undeniable. Lance closed his eyes and said, "This was never part of William's plan. If William finds out, he'll blame himself even more. No one wanted this to happen—William is a victim too."

If he hadn’t broken into the Walker estate to steal the command token, and accidentally discovered that Caleb had fallen into the hands of those troublemakers, Caleb’s fate would have been even worse.

In the face of power, family ties become incredibly fragile. Caleb may be a Walker, but after seven or eight generations, he’s seen as an enemy—and who shows mercy to an enemy?

"In family power struggles, only victory matters. Where there’s conflict, there’s sacrifice. I’m just being nosy." Serena was angry, but she hadn’t lost her cool. She had no right to be angry about the Walker family’s affairs—she was just a physician, an outsider. Her outrage wouldn’t help anyone.

Once she’d cut away Caleb’s shirt, the mangled, bloody skin underneath was revealed. Seeing the whip marks, brands, and wounds from an iron comb, Serena’s mind went blank for a moment.

These injuries were just like the Bloodcloak Guard’s torture methods. For the Walker clan to use such brutal tools on their own kin—how ruthless. If William saw this, he’d be consumed with guilt.

Enough. There was no point in useless anger. She wasn’t some crusader for justice; she couldn’t meddle in Walker clan affairs, or in the relationship between William and Caleb. Maybe Caleb didn’t even blame William—why should she play the villain?

Right now, saving Caleb was all that mattered. Her job was to heal his injuries—anything else was irrelevant. Serena paused and looked up at Lance Quinn and Vincent Su: "You two, out. Lance, you’re wounded too, you need your own bandages. Caleb’s injuries won’t heal in a day, so there’s no need to stand guard. Go do what you need to do."

"Alright. If you need anything, come find me at Sutton Manor." Lance Quinn gave Serena a deep look, his dark eyes showing a hint of admiration.

In a power struggle, so-called kindness, virtue, justice, nobility—they’re all worthless. There’s no right or wrong, only life and death. Serena saw this clearly and quickly, proving she was both calm and rational enough.

Seeing Serena’s blank expression, Vincent Su instantly stifled his own negative emotions. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to praise her for her composure or criticize her for being cold-blooded.

Just a second ago she was sympathizing with Caleb, and now she’d switched to a strictly professional attitude. This woman was way too mercurial.

"Lance, having a woman like her around—I almost pity you." Vincent Su patted Lance Quinn on the shoulder and headed toward the main hall.

Lance could leave, but Vincent couldn’t. Serena would be busy for who knows how long, and someone had to guard Feng Manor. With two Walker sons missing, the clan was bound to make a move.

Lance ignored Vincent and, before leaving, gave the little cabin a long, searching look... then departed.

After Lance and Vincent left, Serena cut away the rest of Caleb’s filthy, tattered clothing and activated her Smart Med-Pack to examine him.

Caleb had multiple fractures all over his body, pierced collarbones, extensive soft-tissue damage, severe dehydration, persistent high fever, and numerous infected, rotting wounds.

Most critically, his liver had been ruptured by blunt force—he was bleeding internally and needed emergency surgery.

A patient like Caleb surviving at all was a miracle. Since he hadn’t given up on himself, Serena wasn’t about to give up on him either.

Blood transfusion, IV fluids, hydration, nutrition, fever reduction, antibiotics—the priority was keeping Caleb alive. Only then could she continue treating his injuries. Serena’s protocol was simple: stabilize first, then treat wounds—internal injuries before external.

The liver injury couldn’t wait. Serena had to operate immediately. She switched on the overhead lights, activated the Smart Med-Pack, took an internal scan of Caleb’s liver to pinpoint the bleeding, and marked the incision site.

Worried that Caleb might die of hemorrhagic shock, Serena didn’t dare waste a second. She took a deep breath, gripped the scalpel, and made an incision in his liver.

Serena was used to performing entire surgeries alone. Even though this one was especially demanding, she didn’t panic. She located the rupture in the liver, suctioned out the blood, and began repairing the wound...

Serena didn’t blink as she stared at the bleeding tear, her eyes red as a rabbit’s but refusing to close—afraid that one blink would send her forceps slipping where they shouldn’t go.

Serena knew exactly how severe Caleb’s injuries were, and even Vincent Su, a layman, understood—which was why he stayed at Feng Manor to hold the fort.

Forget one night—even a whole day and night, Serena couldn’t guarantee she could heal Caleb. Everyone at Feng Manor knew never to disturb her in the operating room, but not everyone respected that rule.

At dawn, a man claiming to be William’s seventeenth uncle arrived at Feng Manor, bringing several young men of William’s generation and a retinue of servants.

The Walker clan knew etiquette. Though they brought many people, they acted with perfect courtesy, presenting visiting cards and asking to see Serena to thank her for caring for their eldest young master. They apologized for troubling Feng Manor these past days and said they’d come to escort him home.

Their words were earnest and polite, but when Vincent heard the steward’s report, a cold glint flashed in his eyes...

William had been missing for days and the Walker clan hadn’t reacted at all. But the moment Caleb was rescued, they showed up demanding their young master. If you told Vincent they weren’t scheming, he’d never believe it. That day, William’s attendant had brought him to Feng Manor—he knew plenty...

The Walker clan’s sudden visit was likely out of fear that William had survived—they were desperate to confirm it...